As a surface-enhanced Raman scattering element of the related art, a surface-enhanced Raman scattering element including a fine metal structure that causes surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) is known (see, for example, Patent Literature 1 and Non-Patent Literature 1). In such a surface-enhanced Raman scattering element, if a sample that is a target of Raman spectroscopic analysis is brought into contact with the fine metal structure and is irradiated with excitation light in this state, surface-enhanced Raman scattering occurs, and Raman scattered light enhanced, for example, about 108 times is emitted.
By the way, for example, Patent Literature 2 describes a fine metal structure in which a metal layer is formed to be in a non-contact state (so that an interval from a shortest portion is about 5 nm to 10 μm) on each of one surface of a substrate and an upper surface of a plurality of microprojections formed on the one surface of the substrate (or a bottom surface of a plurality of micropores formed in the one surface of the substrate).